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Venezuela mum on delay in inflation report

CARACAS, Venezuela — There's one burning question among economists in Venezuela these days: What happened to the November inflation report?

It's been more than two weeks since the deadline passed for the central bank to publish its closely watched consumer price index, and so far authorities have been mum about when it will be released.

Economists and opposition politicians say the delay is a sign the government is trying to hide its embarrassing record controlling inflation, now running at 54 percent, after President Nicolas Maduro last month delivered a rare rebuke of the way the bank measures prices. They warn of more interference to come, undermining an institution that until now has been a redoubt of balance and credibility amid a decade-long socialist push that has divided Venezuelans.

"The most extreme way of manipulating the data is not publishing it," said Victor Olivo, a former manager of macroeconomics analysis at the central bank.

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